Chicago Literary Hall of Fame holds benefit

The Chicago Literary Hall of Fame plans to induct Cyrus Colter, Theodore Dreiser, Harriet Monroe, Mike Royko, Carl Sandburg and Ida B. Wells during a ceremony on Nov. 15 at the Harold Washington Library. On Oct. 12, an auction and cocktail party was held to raise funds for the induction, which was well attended by those in the local literary community.

"Remember, like Chicago voting, bid and bid often," she said, encouraging an audience of about 85 people at the Cliff Dwellers Club to challenge each other in a silent auction benefiting the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame.

Davies then mentioned that she recently read a book she enjoyed involving a Jane Austen reality show. She said the author had a Chicago connection and a name that "kind of looks like door knob." (Davies was talking about Karen Doornebos and her book "Definitely Not Mr. Darcy.")

In a black fedora and T-shirt, Don Evans, executive director of the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame, floated about the room, connecting writers, publishers and donors.

"I think Chicago is a city filled with great literature," he said.

The attendees included Randy Albers, chairman of fiction writing at Columbia College Chicago, Luisa Buehler, author of the "Grace Marsden" murder mystery series, Randy Richardson, president of the Chicago Writers Association, and many other local authors.

Michael Burke, 52, a writer who lives in Ravenswood, chatted about his book "What You Don't Know About Men", which was published on iUniverse, a self-publishing website. Drinking vodka and 7UP, he said he believes the most important change in the Chicago literary scene is the diversity of voices in ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation.

"They make the song of Chicago," he said.

Lise Dominique, 55, sipping vodka and cranberry juice, was animated about her children's book "Harvey the Hungry Dog," based on Harvey, her English lab. The next book in the series about Harvey will address bullying, she said.

The event drew to a close with the top-selling items being a vacation in California going for $2,250 and a Floridian vacation for $600.